Detachable shoe-heel.



'C. Wl FORTIN.

DETACHABLE SH-OE HEEL. APPLICATION FIL-ED NOV25 1914. waag Patented 0013.12

annu/1to1 M0 e M n N nu 1 ra'rs ron. y

CHARLES W. FORTIN, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DETACHABLE SHiOE-HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. t2, 1915.

Appncation ined November 25, 1914. serial ivo. 873,981.

T o all whom t may 00m-ern.'

Be it known that I, Cinemas W. FORTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Ilymouth and State of ll'I-assachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Shoe-Heels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in detachable shoe heels and has as its primary object to provide a construction wherein a terminal yienldable lift may be readily .attached to or. detached from the heel so that when one lift becomes worn out, it may be readily replaced by a new one.

The invention has as a further object to provide an improvedconstruction wherein the person owning the shoes may himself readily detach the worn out lifts and replace them with new ones to consequently dispense with the services of a cobbler and further obviate the incidental expense connected therewith, and wherein when the lifts of a pair of shoes each become worn upon one side, the said lifts may be readily interchanged to thus in effect, serve the purpose of anew pair of lifts.

A. further object of the invention is to V,

provide a construction wherein the yield` able lift will be held firmly in position upon the heel of a shoe and wherein the said lift may be manufactured in quantities to be later purchased and applied in accordance with demand. And the invention has a still further object in this connection, to

provide a locking key for the lift arranged to coact therewith for not only positively connecting the lift with the heel of the shoe but to also maintain the engaging shoulders of the lift firmly seated within the heel.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similar `reference characters designate correspomling parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved shoe heel applied to a shoe of conventional construction. this view illustrating the terminal yieldable lift detached from the heel as well as the locking key eml'iloyed, Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing the lift applied and particularly showing the manner in which Athe lift is disposed to seat within the heel Imanner as by nails or other similar fastening devices, is a lift 12, the said lift providing the body portion of the heel. As best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the heel seat 1.1 upon its outer face is slightly convex and the inner face of the lift 12 is, of course, made slightly concave to conform thereto. The lift 12 may be formed of wood, leather, paper or any other suitable material and I therefore do not wish to limit myself in this regard.

The lift 12 medially thereof, is provided with a longitudinally extending recess 13, the said recess opening through the forward edge of the lift and providing a seat for the reduced' portion of the yieldable lift to be detachably connected thereto as shall be presently described, As best illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the side. walls of said recess are substantially parallel and are beveled to form oppositely inclined slioulders 11 diverging inwardly from the lower outer face of the said lift. The. rear wall of said recess extends at substantially right angles to the side walls thereof and is also beveled similarly to the side walls to provide a. terminal inclined shoulder 15.

In connection with the, lift 12 thus constructed, I provide a yieldable lift 1G which may be formed of rubber or any other suitable material and which, upon one side. is provided with a tiat .face 17 disposed to seat against the llat llower face of the. lift 12. its usual in shoe cmistruction.'the inner edge of the lift 12 is made relatively straight and the inner edge of thel lift 1G is therefore,

made also relatively straight, it being understood that the lift 1G is of a contour to eonform to the contour of the. lift 12. on the inner extremity of the lift It medially thereof and rising from the tiat face 17 of the said lift, is an upstamling reduced portion or member 1S, the said member extending longitudinally of the lift with the Formed fsa adjacent extremity thereof terminating in alinement with the straight edge of the said lift.

Vhile I have indicated that the member 1S is preferably formed integrally with the lift 1G under which conditions, it would be constructed of material similar to that employed in the said lift. still. I do not wish to be limited to this construction as the member 18, were it desired, could be formed as an element separate from the lift 1G to be subsequently secured thereto in any suitable manner as by nails or rivets. as will be readily understood. v

As previously intimated. where the lift 16 is formed of rubber o1' other suitable yieldable material. the member 1b" will also be formed of a similar material and it'will be observed upon particular reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. that the said member of a contour to be received within the recess 13. The side walls ofthe said member are undercut to provide beveleil shoulders 1f) *disposed for engagement with the oppositely inclined shoulders 1-1, while the inner end wall of thesaid member is similarly beveled to provide a terminal shoulder 20 disposed to enga-ge the inclined shoulder 15 of the lift 12.

The lift 16 is detachably connected with the body portion of the heel by moving the member 1S thereof to engage within the recess-13 as will bel readily understood with the shoulders 19 and 2O thereof seating against the shoulders 11 and 15 of the lift 12, the member 1S entirely filling the recess 13, and under ordinary circumstances. being'resilient to maintain the shoulders thereof extended against the shoulders of the said lift; A secure and tight joint isthus provided between the lift 16 and the lift 12. and if desired. the member 1S may be of a width slightly greater thanthe width of the recess 13 so that when inserted within the said recess, the member will be slightly compressed to consequently maintain the shoulders 19 thereof firmly seated against the shoulders 14. In this. connection, attention is also Called to the fact that the upper face of thel member 18 is slightly concave to seat against the adjacent convex face of the heel seat 11.

Formed in the member 1S adjacent the outer extremity thereof is ay transversely extending slot or groove 21, the said groove opening through the upper face of the member and through the side walls thereof. Formed in the lift 12 adjacent the inner eX- tremity thereof are. transversely alined bores 22, the said bores opening through the side edges of the lift and communicating with the recess 13. As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. when the lift Iii is engaged with the lift l2. with the member 1S engaging within thel recess 13 thereof, the slot 21 is disposed to come into alinement with the bores 22 and a key 23 is then removably fitted in said bores to pass through the said slot, for positively connecting the lift 16 with the body portion of the heel. Preferably, the key 23 is resilient andV may, if desired, be formed from a length of suitable resilient wire.

By this arrangement, it will be observed that the lift 16 may be readily detached from the body portion of the heel by simply removing the key 23 and in view of the simplicity of the structure provided, it will be apparent that the owner of a pair of shoes provided with my improved detachable lift may readily interchange the lifts after they have become worn upon one side to thus, in effect, serve the purpose of a n'ew pair of lifts. It is also to be observed, in this connection. that in order to thus interchange the lifts of a pair of shoes or in order to apply a new pair of lifts after an old pair has become worn out, that the services of a cobbler will not be required'and the expense incidental thereto accordingly obviated.

Attention is now called to the fact that the distance between the slot 21 of the member 118 and theshoulder 20 thereof-is preferably slightly greater than the distance between the bores 22 and the shoulder 15 of the lift l2, so that when the key is inserted within the said slot, the portion of the member 1S between the said slot and the shoulder 15 will be compressed by the said key to firmly hold the shoulder 20 of the member 18 in engagement with the said shoulder 15. The purpose of making the key 23 resilient will now be apparent since the said key will thus coact with the member 1S in maintaining the said member firmly seated within the recess 13, it being observed that the resiliency of the member 23 is employed in maintaining the said member seated within the said-recess transversely as well as longitudinally thereof.

In Fig. et of the drawings, I have illustrated a slight modiication of the invention which is more particularly adapted for use upon ladies shoes wherein the bearing area of the heel is relatively smaller than in nien`s shoes. Referring more particularly to this ligure, it will be observed that the lift 12 is provided with a central opening having a straight forward wall 24 which provides a vertically arranged shoulder and an undercut rear wall 25 which provides an obliqucly inclined shoulder. the side walls of the recess in this form of the invention being preferably straight. similar to the wall 2l. The member '1S of the lift 1G is accordingly provided with straight vertically arranged sido walls disposed to engage the vertical side walls of the. recess and the forward end wall of the said member is also straight to engage the wall 24, while the rear wall of the "said member 18 is undercut to provide an obliquely arranged shoulder 26 disposed to seat upon the shoulder 25. By this arrangement, it will be observed that when connecting the member 1G with the member 12, the

shoulder 26 may be initially engaged with the shoulder 25 and the member '16 then pivthe said key being detachably inserted through a suitable bore formed in the forf ward wall 24 to engage the member 18 and thus support the lift vertically. It will thus be observed that in this form of the invention as in thel preferred form, the detachable lift will bc firmly held in position upon the body portidn of the heel when engaged therewith and that the said lift may be readily and easily removed when desired.

' What is claimed as new is z- A Shoe heel including a body portion hav ing a flat lower face and provided with a substantially rectangular recess opening through the forward edge thereof, the Walls defining said recess being beveled, a lift having a substantially rectangular upstanding attaching member medially formed on one side thereof and at one end of the lift, the adjacent upper face of the lift being flat and unobstructed, said attaching-member being insertible in' said recess through the open end thereof and being provided with beveled side walls adapted to engage said first mentioned walls with the flat upper face of the lift seating uniformly against the adjacent fiat face of the body portion, the body portion being provided medially with alined bores adjacentthe forward end thereof and said attaching member being provided with a channel alining with said bores and terminating in spaced relation to the upper face of the lift, and a key formed from a length of resilient wire removably fitted in said bores and channel for yieldably connecting 'the lift withfthe body portion, the said key piercing the body portion of the heel and resting within the said channel in spaced relation to the body of the lift.

In testimony /whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. FORTIN. 

